Graduate student continues breast cancer research with new grant

UAB graduate student Kendra Royston has been named a trainee to the Susan G. Komen Graduate Training in Disparities Research Grant.

The GTDR is an institutional training grant awarded to Karen Meneses, Ph.D., and Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Ph.D., in 2016. Meneses is professor and associate dean for research and scholarship in the UAB School of Nursing. Demark-Wahnefriedis professor and Webb Endowed Chair of Nutrition Sciences in UAB’s School of Health Professions and the associate director for cancer prevention and control at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The GTDR provides education and training for doctoral students who are seeking careers dedicated to understanding and eliminating disparities in breast cancer outcomes across population groups.

With this grant, Royston will continue to work with biology professor Trygve Tollefsbol, Ph.D., to research the use of nutritive compounds in both ER alpha positive and triple negative breast cancer — a more aggressive form of cancer with fewer treatment options.

Royston’s research focuses on revealing the epigenetic mechanisms behind the efficacy of certain combinatorial compounds in breast cancer treatment and prevention, including a recent discovery made by Tollefsbol’s lab.

By providing funding to outstanding training programs, the Susan G. Komen organization seeks to ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists will emerge as the next generation of leaders in the field of breast cancer research focused on disparities in breast cancer outcomes.

This award will fully support Royston’s research work within the UAB College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology throughout the spring of 2018.